AZ Counter-Recruitment Coalition Member Charged with Trespassing in Mesa Mall : AZ IMC

On the 22nd of December (2004), two Arizona Counter-Recruitment Coalition members passed out counter-recruitment literature at the Fiesta Mall in Mesa Arizona.

Only 15 minutes into the fliering, an AZCRC member was asked to "Stop Soliciting". This member then moved to the bottom floor of the mall, where he decided to continued to leaflet. A mere 10 minutes after his encounter with the first Mall Security officer, another Mall Security officer then approached him. "Why are you still here, we asked you to leave?" the second officer told him. But the AZCRC member wasn't asked to leave, only to stop "soliciting". He then explained to the officer the discrepancy of their reasoning, but regardless, the officer escorted the member through a long green hallway into their security office, accompanied by the first guard and now a Police officer, where he was questioned and photographed.

The member was banned from the Mall for two years, charged with trespassing.

He was asked for his identification, address, and phone number. Upon questioning, the 3 Security officials resorted to offensive and intrusive comments and questioning. He was labeled "military hating", "anti-forces", "disrespectful to the troops", and other comments and terminology to slander the member"s character. He was repeatedly told that the U.S. military soldiers are dying for us, and he was being disrespectful by not honoring their sacrifice. "Don't you remember September 11th?" the Police officer asked. The detainee then responded, "It was not Iraq that attacked us." The Police officer then replied, "But all of those people over there are terrorists!" He then went on to comment, "are you anti-police, too? I think you have just got a problem with authority." The same Police officer continued to stress that U.S. soldiers "are dying for our freedom". The detained member asked, "In this case, what freedom have they died for? When so many places, including Malls, are open to public usage yet have been privatized, wouldn't their sacrifice for freedom have then been in vain?"

While the first member was being held in the security office, the second AZCRC member continued to flier in the Mall, reaching many youths, especially those who are targets of US military recruiters.

Now lets think about the context of this members charges. Is it of professional nature for a Police officer, or any public official, to take a one-sided stance on such a sensitive and widely debated issue, such as the invasion and occupation of Iraq? What does it mean when Security officials hold themselves at such a hierarchical position and debunk and undermine another's legitimacy? Is that inherent in a policing force of any kind? The answers to these questions are obvious.

The encounter this AZCRC member experienced as he exercised his constitutional rights is one that we should all consider. The slanted stances of government officials, especially those who are supposed to protect and serve the interests of the people, is an issue that needs to be addressed with thorough and in-depth analysis. Who or what are they really protecting and serving?

Written by the Arizona Counter-Recruitment Coalition
http://www.arizonacrc.org
azcrc@riseup.net

im not trying to be negative but everyone knows that if your doing anything in a mall that is even slightly controversial you can and will be banned if caught. And most people know that its a cops job to get information out of you, they try to do that by pissing you off. If they know that wont work they will try to act like your friend and get info out of you.

I think the charge was worth it, even if the member was only able to distribute only a few leaflets. Keep up the great work AZCRC!

I guess I must be missing something ?

Explain to me how the charge was worth it ?

Was the media there to report on it ?

Who saw it ?

How can you say this is an effective tactic ?

It just seems to me that you have given the mindless enforces of the law some on the job training.

And when this "do good" american decides to turn you in to homeland security.

I must ask, are you serving the best interests of the points you are trying to get out to the public, or are you falling
needlessly into the evil hands of authority and accomplishing noting to advance your agenda.

Whether or not the actual Member of the group felt it was worth it, it happened, and it obviously wasn't intentional.

I think that the work that the AZCRC does is worth whatever legal backlash. The member probably entered the Mall knowing that it was private property, but still felt that even with that risk, handing out as many leaflets as possible was the important part. To inform the youth they encountered about the dangers of joining the Military, and the lies Recruiters tell to get them to join, is very important information.

And for Puck, when you talk of their agenda, leafleting is a major role, at least from my understanding. To inform the kids about militarization and the broader scheme of things is great. So what if you end up being banned from the Mall? To reach just a few is worth that so called "punishment". Those Security officials would have been there regardless. And I think what AZCRC was trying to convey in this article was to simply contrast the slanted stance of public policing and national military. I think they did a good job in accomplishing that. And unlike many groups, at least the CRC is using direct action.

i commented first on this article and wanted to say that the work the crc does is great. I just didnt think getting banned from the mall was that big of a deal since it happens to people i million times aday.

"Another Readers" thoughts might be true in a world where the only place where youth of draft age existed was at shopping malls. But on this planet there are plenty of places where you can find youth of draft age.

I am all for Direct action, but well planned direct action.

The sweatshop direct action movement found that there were more effective tactics to find people who shopped at the GAP, that did not require that you stand in front of a GAP.

Freedom of speech on corporate property such as malls has been upheld in court rulings dismissing trespassing and other charges against leafleting activists in California. Corporate property, which serves as an open market gathering place for the public, rightly forfeits its claim as being "private" property, and courts are beginning to recognize the rights of citizens to protest, leaflet, and educate citizens in malls and other public gathering places as part of our inherent rights as citizens. As well, we should all remember, that corporations were originally licensed by the communities they were located in, and mandated to operate in the best interests of the community. If they violated the good of the community, they were subject to the revocation of their corporate charter and financial and criminal penalties. This original situation has been eroded away by the corrupt corporate financing of politicians over the past century and a half. It is up to us, as citizens and free people to hold corporations, the police, military and politicians accountable for the many usurpations of our rights and freedoms, and the military-corporate government for its horrors and murders across the earth. Congratulations to the activists leafletting in the mall, for they were doing all of these things. And to Puck, if you are truly a caring interested person, and not a paid fed subverting and disparaging this groups work, I ask--what are you doing to help educate military age youth of the illegal, immoral horrors of this war? Rather than disparage those who are doing effective work which reaches many young adults, if you have a "better way" then show us all, for action always speaks more clearly and truthfully than mere words. Many thanks to those who have taken this direct action. Ask your attorneys, if the charges are not dropped, to look into the California mall case's ruling, and bet of luck and magic!

"Now lets think about the context of this members charges. Is it of professional nature for a Police officer, or any public official, to take a one-sided stance on such a sensitive and widely debated issue, such as the invasion and occupation of Iraq?"

no its not their place to sit and argue politics with you (because then it can become a poltically motivated arrest and then you can debate that as the grounds for arrest in court), its funny though especially when they just make themselves out to be the uneducated asses they are.

all charges should be dropped on the grounds of unprofessional conduct.

Sorry to hear about the arrest, fellas - but it sounds like you're doing real good work!

We've been very active out here in Santa Cruz, CA - to the point that the recruiters send the most liberal enlistees that they find 'cus they hate coming themselves.

Gotta keep the pressure on - any resistance you get is only showing that you're being effective. Malls are a great place to flyer.

If you need any assistance - give us a shout. Gotta be here for each other!

Solidairty Forever.

The Mall is the perfect example of total breeder consumer fascism.

You have no civil rights in a mall. You just breed and shop and breed and shop.

Don't think for yourself. Just do what the ads tell you and breed and shop and breed and shop.

The "SECURITY" guards are there for your own good.

If there are actual cases of citizens rights being upheld in malls, you should post those cases here for the benefit of all.

And finally, the media reporting something does not make it more real, nor more important.

In fact, in the case of corporate media, it has the opposite effect.

Doing something simply because one thinks it's just and good is reason enough to do something. You don't need validation from the media.

Thanks for the counter recruitment idea. I served the USA military and regret it with a passion. The VA does forced experiments on veterans and they do not allow us into their government meetings and laugh at us.

If Jews can kill Arabs to regain their lands with D.C. approval, I think those with Indian descent should be able to kill those who do not have Indian descent to regain their American lands.

Beware of the enemy as his frail dieing hand has spread across the world and has regained strength. Support freedom fighters, support Hezbollah, Taliban, and Zapatistas, and the rising American Militia.

Overthrow the regime.

First of all, Veteran Never Again's comments are frightening and misguided. A good many readers of blogs like these belong to social classes and divisions that would be the first to the beheading chamber should Hezbollah, the Taliban, or any other islamofacist regime take over.

With all of that beside the point, let it be known that The People's Republik of Mexifornication is far different from the rest of the country. In the vast majority of the country, private property rights still exist. Malls were never "public property that has been privatized". They were built on private lands by private contractors for private companies, and invited the public in for the express purpose of selling goods and services and bolstering the economy (note, nothing about communist ideals or anti-military sentiment was included in that description). As a "SECURITY Guard" (BTW, the polite, PC term for them these days is "Public Safety Officer") for nearly a decade, I can say that there was probably a posted code of conduct that nearly always includes "No solicitation or distribution of literature or handbills".

I know the left usually screams about preserving people's rights. That is, until one has a disagreement with private property rights, at which point they will whine to a judge about "public access or private property", to try to effectively take control of the property away from the owner. Where did I see that kind of thing before..........let me think..........oh yeah, it was in the Communist Manifesto.

Sorry to say guys, private property, in most of the 49 sane states, is PRIVATE PROPERTY.

This guy accomplished nothing, other than to make himself look like a dumbass. He isn't stopping people from joining the military. He is being a fool, and he got off easy. I would have tasered his ass for being a public nuisance